|born on||25 February 1861 at 23:15 (= 11:15 PM )|
|Place||Donji Kraljevec, Croatia, 46n22, 16e39|
|Timezone||LMT m16e39 (is local mean time)|
|Astrology data||07°21' 17°30 Asc. 10°35'|
Austrian-Hungarian mystic, philosopher, scientist, artist, educator and author. Founder of Anthroposophy (or the Science of Spirit), Rudolf Steiner Education (also known as the Waldorf Schools for young children), an extraordinary system of agriculture called bio-dynamics, and a form of dance-yoga known as eurhythmy. Extremely prolific, he wrote some 33 books and delivered over 6,000 lectures on Anthroposophy and other topics.
Rudolf Steiner was the eldest of three children of parents from a very small town in the Lower Austrian forest, north of the Danube. His father was a huntsman who became a telegraphist on the South Austrian Railway in Kraljevec before marrying Rudolf’s mother. His mother’s maiden name was Blie.
When Rudolf was one-and-a-half years old, the family moved to Molding, near Vienna. Six months later they moved to Pottschach, where his younger sister and brother were born. His father became the stationmaster for the railway. When the boy was eight, the family moved to Neudorfl, a little Hungarian village on the border of Lower Austria. By that time, Rudolf was already aware of things not seen. Writing of his early experiences, he said, ". . . the reality of the spiritual world was as certain to me as that of the physical. I felt the need, however, for a sort of justification for this assumption." The boy exhibited such an intelligence and eagerness to learn that his father arranged to send him on from their small village school to the Realschule at Wiener-Neustadt (a secondary school) in October 1872 and later to the Technical University in Vienna.
Steiner had to support himself at school through scholarships and by doing tutoring for fellow students. He often studied many more subjects than were assigned at school, and did outside reading of philosophy, psychology, science and geometry. Many Sundays were spent creating colored geometrical models. He always came back to the fundamental question: "How far is it possible to prove that in human thinking real spirit is the agent?"
After making a deep study of philosophy, especially the writings of Kant, Steiner developed a theory of knowledge based on direct experience of the spiritual nature of thinking. As a student, his scientific knowledge was recognized when he was asked to edit Goethe’s material on nature. Steiner was able to see Goethe as one who could perceive the spiritual in nature, even though he had not carried his work as far as the direct perception of spirit. Steiner brought a new understanding to Goethe’s scientific work through this insight into his perception of nature. There was no existing philosophical theory to take into account this type of vision, so Steiner filled the need by publishing an introductory book, "The Theory of Knowledge Implicit in Goethe’s World Conception," in 1886. He continued to write introductions to Goethe’s works that were later compiled in "Goethe the Scientist" (1883-1897). He became involved in the Theosophical Society for a decade and founded a new German branch. In 1891 he was awarded his Ph.D. from the University of Rostock.
In 1901 he moved to Berlin to edit a literary magazine. There he wrote two other books and began his career of lectures on the Science of Spirit that eventually numbered over 6,000. Most of the rest of his life was devoted to building up a complete science of spirit. Steiner’s approach differed from the Theosophists in that he was interested in a western mysticism, not eastern. In 1907 he was initiated into the Rosicrucians. By 1910 he was a very popular lecturer on the Gospels. From 1911 he turned to the arts - drama, painting, architecture, eurhythmy - demonstrating the creative powers drawn from spiritual vision. In 1913, he broke away to found his own organization called Anthroposophy. Obviously influenced by Theosophy (the concept of seven planes, cosmic cycles and sub-cycles, etc.), it also contained elements of Rosicrucianism, Plato, Goethe, and Christianity. He wrote numerous other books on related topics.
As a response to the disastrous First World War from 1914-1918 he showed how the social sphere could be transformed through insight into the true spiritual nature of man. His work bore practical fruit in the fields of education, agriculture, therapy and medicine. He developed the Rudolf Steiner Education (also known as the Waldorf Schools) and bio-dynamic agriculture. With the help of his second wife, Baltic Russian actress and former Theosophist Marie von Sivers, he developed a curative therapy of flowing movement called eurhythmy.
After a few more years of intense activity, Rudolf Steiner died on 03/30/1925 in Dornach, Switzerland, as the leader of a worldwide movement. He left behind him an achievement that earned him recognition as the first Initiate of the Age of Science.
In the 1940s and 1950s the Steiner organization founded the Camp Hill Communities in Australia for the curative education of retarded children. His Waldorf Schools are still in operation and respected as of 2000. There is a Steiner Foundation for awarding grants to deserving people and projects.
His autobiography was published in final form as "The Story of My Life" and also as "Rudolf Steiner, An Autobiography" in 1925. He died on 03/30/1925 in Dornach, Switzerland.
- associate relationship with Stein, Walter Johannes (born 6 February 1891)
- friend relationship with Hahn, Herbert (born 23 April 1890 Jul.Cal. (5 May 1890 greg.))
- friend relationship with Medtner, Emilii (born 20 December 1872)
- friend relationship with von Bernus, Alexander (born 6 February 1880)
- friend relationship with Vreede, Elisabeth (born 16 July 1879)
- spouse relationship with Steiner-Sivers, Marie (born 14 March 1867)
- (has as) student relationship with Zeylmans van Emmichoven (born 23 November 1893). Notes: Student and biographer of Rudolf Steiner
- Social : End a program of study 1891 (Received his Ph.D.)
- Family : Change residence 1901 (Moved to Berlin for work)
- Work : New Career 1911 (Arts, drama, painting and architecture)
- Social : Joined group 1913 (Founded Anthroposophy)
- Work : Published/ Exhibited/ Released 1925 (Autobiography)
Marion March quotes B.R. given by Gerhard Wehr "Rudolph Steiner," published in Frieberg, 1983. (February 27, as sometimes given, was the date of his baptism.) The location later became Yugoslavakia; Kraljewec may be found on a Polish map. Steinbrecher gives an L&L of 15 E.40, 46 N.00.
(Formerly, Sabian Symbols No.865 gave 11:15 PM; old file had 11:30 PM and Pawnall gave 1:00 PM in AJ Spring/1961, but for the wrong date of February 27, 1861)
(Larry Ely writes, "Students of Rudolf Steiner say that Steiner was Thomas Acquinas in his previous incarnation, and I think this is correct. Some time I would like to determine Acquinas's chart to look for connections between it and Steiner's as a basis for studying general principles of connections between the birth chart, the death chart, and the subsequent birth chart of the same individuality. Steiner's students also say that he was Aristotle in an incarnation prior to Aquinas. The same logic may be successful in finding Aristotle's birth date.") In December 2011, PT changed the country of birth from Hungary (original entry) to Croatia, now the country where this town is found. The coordinates remain unchanged.atr: The date is highly disputed and Swiss Anthroposophists insist on 27 February, see for example this research report (in German).
- Traits : Mind : Exceptional mind (Creative, visionary)
- Traits : Personality : Unique
- Family : Childhood : Order of birth (First of three)
- Personal : Religion/Spirituality : Meditation
- Personal : Religion/Spirituality : Mystical experience
- Personal : Religion/Spirituality : Philosopher/ Humanist (Philosopher)
- Vocation : Education : Public speaker (Over 6,000 lectures)
- Vocation : Education : Teacher (Educator)
- Vocation : Science : Anthropology
- Vocation : Writers : Autobiographer
- Vocation : Writers : Religion/ Philosophy (Anthroposophy)
- Vocation : Writers : Textbook/ Non-fiction (Over 33 books)
- Notable : Extraordinary Talents : For Abstract thought
- Notable : Famous : Notable extremes (Gave over 6,000 lectures)
- Notable : Book Collection : American Book